Cauliflower Tempura with Ginger Sauce

New to tempura? Then this recipe is a great introduction to it!

The inspiration for this dish came from some tempura I tried at a Japanese restaurant recently. It featured a mix of vegetables, including mushrooms, cauliflower, and lotus roots, among others. I particularly enjoyed the cauliflower one and started to think that I could come up with a twist on it.

What’s unique about my tempura is that I season the batter with curry powder and serve it with the creamiest ginger sauce. While it may not be the traditional way to prepare tempura, it tastes fantastic! Even my wife, who usually isn’t a fan of cauliflower, enjoyed it!

⭐️ Why You Will Love It

Well-seasoned.

Cauliflower may not be the most exciting vegetable around. But, when it’s tossed with a curry-infused batter and deep-fried until extra crispy, it turns into a real show stealer. The curry powder enhances the subtle flavor of the cauliflower without overpowering it, and the ginger sauce adds an extra layer of flavor. Curry + ginger always makes sense, doesn’t it?

A contrast of textures.

The sauce, which is a key component of this dish, brings freshness, delicate citrusy notes, and a hint of tang. Its velvety-smooth and creamy consistency contrasts beautifully with the crispiness of the tempura.

You can either pour the sauce onto a plate and place the cauliflower tempura on top or use it as a dipping sauce. To be honest, the latter is most probably the best way because it allows you to generously coat the crispy cauliflower florets with a large amount of sauce.

📘 What Is Tempura?

If you have never heard of tempura, it’s a Japanese frying technique that appeared around the 16th century. The process consists of dipping vegetables (or seafood) in a cold batter made of ice water, flour, baking soda, and sometimes spices. The batter is just slightly mixed to prevent the gluten from developing too much. The contrast of a cold batter with the hot oil creates a very light and crispy coating.

🥦 Ingredient Notes

Cauliflower

How to pick cauliflower: Look for cauliflower that has firm and white florets. Stay away from cauliflower that shows brown or dark specks or has a yellowish color.

Looking for more cauliflower recipes? Check out my Instant Pot Cauliflower Tikka Masala or this Celery Root & Cauliflower Purée!

Flour + cornstarch

To make the tempura batter, I rely on a combination of flour and cornstarch. The cornstarch slightly lowers the protein content of the flour, creating a lighter and crispier texture. You can replace the all-purpose flour and cornstarch with an equal amount of cake flour.

Gluten-free option: For a gluten-free option, check out the batter I use to make my mushroom tempura.

Curry powder

The addition of curry powder adds another level of flavor and a bright orange color to the batter.

Note: I used my Vietnamese curry powder for this recipe, but any curry powder will work, so feel free to use your favorite one.

Soda water

Soda water, or sparkling water, creates more bubbles in the batter, resulting in a lighter texture and a crispier tempura. Ensure you are using chilled soda water, not room-temperature.

Note: I have also tested with cold beer, and it works too!

🫚 Ginger Sauce

Raw cashews

To create a rich and creamy sauce, I use a base of raw cashews that are soaked overnight and then blended with water and seasonings.

Short on time? Pour boiling water over the cashews and let them sit for about 1 hour.

Nut-free option: For those who do not tolerate nuts, you can replace the cashews and the water with about 1 cup of plant-based cream.

Fresh ginger

To add spicy/zesty flavors, I blend the cashews with fresh ginger. Keep in mind that depending on how fresh your ginger is, you might have to adjust the amount. From my experience, wrinkly or old ginger tends to be more spicy and more fibrous, while fresh ginger has a milder, more pleasant taste. I suggest starting with about 1 inch and adding more to taste.

Note: Please do not replace the fresh ginger with ground ginger – it won’t yield the same flavor.

Lime juice

Lime juice brightens up the sauce and adds a tangy kick that pairs wonderfully with the ginger.

Garlic

For some garlicky notes.

🥣 How to Make It

Before starting, ensure you follow the steps in the right order. It’s essential that you prepare the sauce BEFORE deep-frying the cauliflower, as you will need to serve the cauliflower right after deep-frying, not 10 minutes later, but within the first 2-3 minutes. Cauliflower contains a lot of moisture and softens the tempura coating very quickly, resulting in a loss of crispiness.

1. Make the sauce

1. Drain the cashews. Drain the soaked cashews and transfer them to a high-speed blender.
2. Blend them. Add the water, fresh ginger, lime juice, garlic, and salt. Blend on high speed for 20-30 seconds or until smooth and creamy.

Taste and adjust the seasonings: Taste and adjust the saltiness to your liking. Feel free to add more ginger to taste and blend again. I personally like to add about 1/4 teaspoon of sugar or maple syrup to balance the spiciness of the ginger.

Strain it: For an ultra-smooth consistency, feel free to pass the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve to get rid of the possible fibers of the ginger. This step is optional and can be omitted if your ginger is very fresh. For old ginger, that’s another story, as it’s usually more fibrous and might yield an unpleasant texture.

2. Boil the cauliflower

Since frying tempura is very quick (1-2 minutes), it would not cook the cauliflower. That’s why you need to cook it prior to frying.

1. Cook the cauliflower. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Once boiling, add the cauliflower florets and boil for 5-8 minutes or until the cauliflower is about 95% cooked. Do not overcook it, though.
2. Drain it. Drain and rinse the cauliflower under cold water to stop it from cooking more and to cool it. Set it aside.

3. Heat the oil. Heat about 3 cups of oil in a deep saucepan over medium heat. In the meantime, prepare the tempura batter.

3. Prepare the batter

1. Whisk the dry ingredients. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, curry powder, salt, and baking powder.

2. Add the wet ingredients. Pour in the chilled soda water and whisk to combine. Do not overmix. It’s okay if there are some lumps.

4. Deep fry

1. Test the oil. Dip a wooden spoon or chopsticks into the hot oil. If bubbles appear around it, the oil is hot enough.
2. Dip the cauliflower. Working with one cauliflower floret at a time, dip it into the tempura batter (using a pair of chopsticks or a fork) and slightly shake it to remove the excess batter.

3. Deep fry. Immediately transfer to the oil and repeat with 3-4 more florets. Fry for about 1 minute or until the florets are golden brown. Remove the cauliflower tempura from the oil using a slotted spoon and transfer it to a plate lined with kitchen paper towels to remove the excess oil.

4. Repeat. Repeat with the remaining cauliflower florets, frying no more than 4-5 at a time.

5. Assemble. To assemble, pour some ginger sauce onto a plate and place the hot cauliflower tempura on top. Alternatively, you can serve the tempura with the sauce on the side!

🌿 Variations

You can tweak this recipe to your liking by seasoning the batter with different spices or aromatics! For example, you could add ground chili or red pepper flakes for spiciness, or dried herbs for herby notes.

🍚 What to Serve It With

We can serve this dish on its own or make it a heartier dish by serving it with:

• Grains: White rice, quinoa, farro, or even pasta.
• Salad: It also pairs well with some salad, like this French-inspired grated carrot salad, papaya salad, or this 10-minute kale salad.

💬 FAQ

I hope you will love this cauliflower tempura! It is tender on the inside while being crispy on the outside. Its subtle curry flavor pairs perfectly with the garlicky and gingery sauce!

🥢 More Appetizer Recipes

Crispy Mushroom Tempura (Vegan / Gluten-Free)

Vegan Samosas

Vegan Cucumber Sandwiches

Magical Green Falafel

⭐️ Did you like this recipe? Let me know in the comments below, and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!

Note: This recipe was first released in June 2021 and updated with new process shots and detailed instructions in April 2025. You can find the original photos below.